We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ryan Matthews. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ryan below.

Hi Ryan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

At one point in my pet dog training career I was taking on about ten clients a day. The money was amazing, I was helping a lot of people but I didn’t realize it at the time but I was literally killing myself. After a couple years of that pace one day my life and business came to a drastic halt. At 30 years old, after having stomach pain for five months, I went to the ER and discovered it was stage three colon cancer and a month after that I had a heart attack from the chemotherapy. That’s when I knew I had to make a lot of changes. My desire to help others never faded but I realized I was taking on too much. That’s when I came up with the idea to teach people everything I’ve learned being the dog industry for over 20 years, help them be successful owning their own business under my World of Dog Training brand. Best of all I would be able to help more confused dogs and frustrated dog owners, resulting in less dogs being euthanized. Even though I’m not able to directly make the impact, I am indirectly having the positive impact through trained and certified World of Dog Training Trainers. At the end of the day that’s all that matters, that we are helping reduce the number of dogs euthanized.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

World of Dog Training is a heart centered, results-driven dog training company focused on ensuring you and your dog walk away without being tied to a leash! Our system has been proven to be successful 99% of the time with 1000’s of dogs having more freedom, much happier, obedient and confident! We want to see you wagging your tail with excitement, confident in your ability to understand your pup so you can effectively communicate and enjoy each other to the fullest.

No more chasing Fido out of the house after he’s peed on the carpet… again! It’s time to teach your “good boy” how to be GREAT, something we’ve mastered at WODT – and something that you can master too! Life is too short to struggle with your dog. We take pride in transforming the life of dogs and their owners, we hope you’ll be next!

Our approach to training continues to evolve. We call it training for the real world. That means we want you to have your dream dog with you wherever you go. Imagine having a dog you incorporate into your active lifestyle, and the thought of leaving him/her at home because of their naughtiness is a thing of the past. Our dog training school offers 1-on-1, in-person lessons around the globe (yep, Ryan is committed to your and your K9 and will travel anywhere in the world to see you both succeed!), along with an all inclusive board and train program where your dog actually lives with a dog trainer 24/7, a growing library of e-courses (DIY Dog Training On-Demand Videos), a 30 day Train The Trainer School where we certify you as a dog trainer and help you earn over $100,000 a year, and lastly dog training books written by our Head Trainer and Founder, Ryan Matthews.

We are veteran owned and operated. Our Head Trainer, Ryan Matthews, has been training dogs since 2002. He began his career in dog training with training and handling elite Military Working Dogs (MWDs). While in the Army, he performed bite protection training, bomb threat sweeps, secret service missions, and combat deployment to Iraq (with his MWD, Zito) where he worked with Special Forces and Infantry units.

Upon the completion of our program, you will not just be a dog owner, you will be a successful and confident dog handler. Trust us when we say, the difference truly is priceless! Not only will your pup be obedient off leash (even with distractions), you will be able to incorporate your dog into your lifestyle – hiking, enjoying time at your favorite café, even working at the office. And the real kicker? We will clear up common misconceptions about dog behavior by teaching you dog psychology. Where we stand out from other conventional dog training is we teach you to speak dog. Seriously, our founder Ryan Matthews has cracked the canine code and we stand ready to share it with you. You will also learn to speak to your dog without saying a word and understand him/her at a level that is so deep and special you may get the chills!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I’ve been faced with multiple challenges ever since childhood. Trauma is no stranger to me. Yet, I don’t let it define me. I use it to help others not make the same mistakes, up-level their mindset and for us all to grow collectively. I served in the Army for six years and a majority of the time I was a Military Working Dog Handler /Canine Handler. In 2005, I volunteered to deploy to Mosul, Iraq with an explosive detection dog named Zito. He saved my life and for that I am forever grateful, in fact that’s a big part of why I’ve dedicated my life to giving back to dogs. However, coming home from the war I was a different person. My PTSD was through the roof and everyone around me felt the effects. Five years later, came the colon cancer diagnosis and heart attack. All of those challenges increased my resilience and helped me seek help for my mind, body and spirit. As difficult as all of that was, it was a gift. I continue to look inward for the lessons and dogs have been one of my greatest teaches who share lessons when I slow down and receive them.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I joined the Army when I was 19 years old because I wanted to run away from a risky lifestyle I was in. I knew I needed to changed and needed disciple I just didn’t know how to get it. Well, the Army gave me that. I soldiered hard and loved my six years in the Army. At the same time, because I went all in like everything in life that I do. I became super brain washed, and my training kept me alive and safe for those six years. However, soldiering hard doesn’t serve me, my brothers or sisters in arms when we become civilians. That’s why I feel we need un-military training to help us bury what they teach us. The truth is they teach us to kill, not ask questions, and be emotionless. Again, that doesn’t serve us in the civilian world. So, unlearning some of my military training would help me become more of the man I want to be much sooner.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.worldofdogtraining.com/
• Instagram: @worldofdogtraining
• Facebook: @iamryanmatthews
• Linkedin: @iamryanmatthews
• Other: Become a Certified Dog Trainer in 60 Days: https://train.worldofdogtraining.com/ttt